Better yet, train a 16" turret on the QM and sink it, which is really what needs to be done with this orphaned money pit. Nostalgia aside, I’m sorry Queen Mary, it seems nobody is just that into you.

That is an interesting take on it, but those freedoms have a lot of value, some might say they are fundamental to being human, and would ask the question, Why not both? Or more pointedly, what value whatsoever does another billion on top of one billion on top of another billion add? When any number is never enough,…

Not sure of your point, but if it is you think any significant percentage of 20-somethings in the workforce know how to run a P&L or how to do business development to keep the lights on, I’ll wager they have no eff’ing clue. You can’t read it in a book, you need to do it, experience, live it and fail it, which means…

Right, and it’s also imperative folks at a certain level know this stuff so they can defend contracts and rates to clients. You want us insured in case you need to sue us, right? Well, you gotta pay for that. You get a vacation, do you think I deserve one too?  Etc.

Singapore is a crazy juxtaposition of ideologies. On one hand, the Libertarian wet dream of unchecked business and wealth; Eduardo Saverin, the “sympathetic” character in the Social Network who got hosed by Zuck moved there to be a billionaire citizen of the world free of regulations (and from paying a massive US tax…

The ol’ Silicon Valley play of lose only a small amount of money on each transaction, and make it up in volume.

Our CEO (private engineering company) gives a very good presentation of this topic every few years to help younger folks understand the business side, relating expenses, profit, accrual accounting, overhead, billing rates, etc. As he breaks down overhead and gets to vacations, heath insurance, professional liability…

I think he was using the scenario of winters on dedicated wheels. Swapping wheels is a bit more straightforward. I do this on my GTI with a summer tire/wheel set and all seasons tire/wheel for winter. Here in central PA is it not (anymore) consistently cold enough for full winters, they would be ruined with all the…

Yeah, even the minimal amount I rode to the office, I still felt like I was living on borrowed time. And were I to be hit by a car riding to work? Mentally that would sit a lot different than riding for fun. I’ve had terrible luck of living west of every office I’ve ever been at, so for 25 years I’ve been commuting…

This is so sad, because the system on my MK7 GTI is basically flawless. It reacts immediately. The screen is big enough to see map directions, and small enough it does not distract you. It has buttons and knobs I use without even looking. CarPlay is seamless and works every time, all the time.  It also has one more…

I’ve been riding for 30+ years and I bike (cycle to be snobbish) about 3,000 miles/year, but never to work. Mostly because my job today involves crossing a main river with zero bike-friendly crossings. But I used to live in Richmond, VA, which is very bike-forward (2015 Cycling Word Championship were there) and even…

A coworker of mine has a Delta SkyMiles AMEX that is made from the skin of a retired Delta 747. It has a great heft to it and is totally badass.

Right, the 747 was a huge success over its 50 year run. For the first 30 of those years, if you wanted to go far or carry a bunch of people (or do both) or avoid ETOPS restricted routes, there was no substitute. Nowhere near the relative flop/misread of the A380.

I was thinking along those lines on income. To claim the full credit, you need $7,500 in income tax liability. Assume a base case Married Filing Jointly and Standard Deduction, and no child tax or other credits, gross income to generate that liability is $93,867 (single filer $69,270).

And with recent reports, much of the southern portion is the same. Have you read the craziness going on with saltwater infiltration and drinking water in Louisiana, and measures to mitigate it?

Needs a Fig Newtons sticker across the windshield.

After 2+ decades of road riding I got into gravel biking during the pandemic, and all the good things you describe about riding 2-wheels in the woods apply, even without an engine.

My GTI has no internal camera systems (that I’m aware of...), can these cameras just be taped over and then you just live without whatever half-baked “assistance” system they are associated with?  Because that’s what I would do.

Enterprise, and it came with a 2% battery. No cord with the van. We found an L2 at a grocery store on a map while passing through Augusta once, but the timing was not worth it. I had never been to Maine, and I don’t think most folks realize how empty so much of America is, but people still live there. And Maine isn’t…

Right, most people look at what can I afford NOW. Paying more up front for less cost down the line is not a luxury many people have. I just bought a bike bag online for $55. I was offered it for 4 easy payments...some idiot who can’t swing $55 is going to finance that bag. Same with cars.